Chuck vs. The Third Dimension

Oh, how I have missed Chuck! (And Casey. Did you see him beating up that girl? So hot!) And I missed all of you, too! Despite my best laid plans, you may have noticed that I did NOT get around to watching the CHUCK webisodes over the break. So forgive me, friends! But that just means we have something to look forward to later, am I right?!?!

Alright, so let’s talk about this episode. I love me some 3-D. I was right there on opening night for My Bloody Valentine 3-D and I’ve even been known, on occasion, to go see movies I didn’t really want to see just for the third dimension. Which is why I was a little sad that I never did figure out where to get the 3-D glasses from and I had to watch this in the regular two dimensions. Drag! I even tried my glasses from the theater, but since they weren’t the two-toned kind, they didn’t work. Nonetheless, I really enjoyed the episode and promptly forgot about the 3-D.

I’ve got to admit, I wasn’t that into the spy plot this week … someone wants to kill a rock star blah blah tattoos etc. It was all mostly a vehicle to get from Point A to Point B, but I totally forgive that because I think this episode was loaded up with more references that I loved than any other. Shall we?

• Arrested Development—“NO TOUCHING!” I saw Buster/Emmett yelling it in the preview and was in love from there. Billy also pointed out that playing “Final Countdown” during the sandwich race was an AD reference. I missed that, but apparently that was Gob’s magic show tune.

• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory—a golden ticket! Are you kidding me? I even loved how they stood over Morgan all excited, just like in the movies!

• Sixteen Candles—The Molly Ringwald Underwear Challenge! I could watch Sixteen Candles on a loop for weeks, I swear. And when the Bus straight ripped off Lester’s panties, I about peed mine. Hysterical.

• Shawshank Redemption—of COURSE Jeff would be the one to reference a prison movie, but when he said, “Get busy livin’ or get busy dyin’,” I was all, “Damn right.” Also, no joke, I referenced that exact quote earlier this week in a blog post, proving once again (and frighteningly so) that Jeff is my soul mate.

• Back to the Future—the “To Be Continued” font at the end! But was there more to it than that? Because if so … I didn’t get it.

I didn’t take notes, so I may have forgotten a couple (or missed a few)—anyone else have any to add?

I did like Dominic Monaghan as the rock star, especially when you could picture him being a little cheesy and with stupid lyrics, as Chuck was describing him. And that hair was insane! In the total good way. Since my dog has a mohawk, I find myself a little partial to them these days. And such a tiny person constantly waking up from tranquilizer darts that should keep him down for hours and it being attributed to “rock star metabolism” made me chuckle. I thought a nice little touch of continuity was the Ronald Reagan picture sitting next to him while they were at Casey’s apartment. Honestly, I wouldn’t have known where they were without that, so all the better. And when he was excited that Sarah new his name … he turned out to be a pretty likeable guy, despite all initial indications that he would be a douche.

And remember when I said that the spy plot was a vehicle? It really was, especially when Chuck was talking our little rock star hobbit into performing, and saying that he had to be brave for one night in exchange for an entire normal life afterward, and how he’d give anything for that. And even though a lot of times on this show I feel like we hear the same thing more than once, Zach Levi (and Yvonne StraHOTski, as she is known around the internets) is really good at delivering it with feeling every time, so it never seems to get stale. He’s maybe the perfect dude in the whole world for this part—I just can’t imagine anyone else in it. Although … don’t hate me for saying it, but I did not love whatever was going on with his hair last night. I think the best way to describe it is “strange”.

I was glad they referenced earlier in the episode that Chuck had been acting weird since Christmas, because I seriously might have forgotten that Sarah killing the Fulcrum agent happened in that episode because it was just so unexpected. But they brought it back to the forefront and I was glad they talked about it, instead of dragging it out. And I was glad that Sarah immediately knew and acknowledged that she lied to Chuck, but said she had to protect him, and he protested that the guy was unarmed, and Sarah didn’t apologize and just said that she had to do it. And Chuck just said that there were things he was never going to get used to. And I thought that was really perfect, because she didn’t apologize—I think it was obvious that she didn’t want to do it, but she wasn’t sorry, either. And Chuck didn’t pretend to understand or even condone what she did, and I thought that was very honest of the writers.

And of course that conversation led to a debate between Chuck and Sarah about whether or not Chuck actually was a spy, and I think the conclusion is that he is, in that he has secrets and danger, but minus the killer instincts. Still, Sarah gave him the night off and went out on a mission with Casey (who was excited to get away from Chuck), and he ended up bounding after them like a little brother/puppy hybrid, and hopping in the backseat, where he undoubtedly will not stay when they tell him too.

There was no preview for next week, just a crazy awesome montage (worthy of a Barney Stinson resume) of the rest of the season, which, as always, looks great.

I can’t wait to hear what you all thought of this one! Did anyone actually get their hands on 3-D glasses, and was it bad ass? Would you eat a urinal cake to win a Buy More Triathlon? And most importantly, did YOU think Chuck had weird hair last night?

SB has many interests, including photography, her pets, entertainment, traveling and writing. She does have a day job, but that mostly amounts to her being a sarcastic young woman with a lot of time on her hands, which is why she appreciates the opportunity to recap.